Hot Take: Tai Lung or Tigress becoming the next Dragon Warrior was never going to happen…
I’m not saying I hate these characters, in fact, I love them. But the idea of either of them becoming the dragon warrior would’ve ruined the entire franchise. Both of their arcs are centered around the fact that they are not the dragon warrior and learning to accept that. To make either of them, the dragon warrior would’ve undermined and contradicted the entire point of the original trilogy.
Not to mention, both of them are meant to represent their own distinctive styles of kung fu: tiger and leopard style. Plus Po choosing a new dragon warrior means choosing a successor, which means a person younger than you. Neither Tigress or Tai lung are younger than Po in fact they’re both older than him.
Kung fu is a martial art and like all other arts, one generation teaches the next, all three of these characters are from a previous generation so it makes complete sense for Po to choose someone new to become the next dragon warrior. Plus Tigress has accepted that fact, and embrace the fact that she still is special even without the dragon warrior title. And Tai Lung has clearly found peace in the spirit world, and no longer covets it and has accepted that his time in the mortal world is over.
I just wanted to share my perspective on the whole idea, none of you have to agree with me on this. I can’t wait for the rest of this new trilogy and the journey Po and Zhen will embark on in their new roles.